As many know, I love to stitch with hand-dyed threads. So when The Little Stitcher has a cute freebie on her blog, I took the box with Nina's Threads. Its always a joy to take something out of it, its like a chocolate box :-) The freebie Give Love is stitched with Rose Sand and Dark Chocolate.

Working with Nina's Threads is always a joy, but another thing I like is to make your stash bigger with her new colors. Besides threads she also dyed lace and ricrac, so I ordered that also. This week came my order and the colors are beautiful as always. On her site she has many more colors to see.

Another thing that arrived was a large amount of Weeks Dye Works threads. I still had a gift certificate for spending in an American shop, that I recieved from a American designer for doing some modelstitching for her. They hadn't Crescent Colours so I choose Weeks Dye Works threads.

The modelstitching is done so I had time to stitch another part of The bookshelf. This time a scene from Sense and sensibility, a book written by Jane Austen. Jane wrote this in 1811 but there are a lot of people who still read this story.

Sense and sensibility is the story about Elinor Dashwood, who after the death of her father with her mother and two sisters left their estate because the law of succession states that the son from his first marriage here is entitled to. They don't have a lot of possession but still they manage to build a new life elsewhere. Sister Marianne soon ends up in a raging relationship but is eventually fired by the young man in question.

Elinor falls in love with the unattainable Edward. He also feels much for her but he is a gentleman of honor and has already wedding promises to another woman. Luck ain't with the young ladies. The two sisters still try their head and heart to get in line and be prepared for whatever the future will bring.

What have a quilt in progress and a pig in common? Totally nothing, but because I'm busy with some modelstitching for a Dutch designer that I can't show for a while, I write today about a quilt in progress and a pig.

The pig made Michiel for a colleague who is sick home for a while now and that colleague has a pig as pet. The pattern is from Cotton Ginnys and its called Mini Puffs. The only thing that gave Michiel troubles where the hoofs. He made the first leg with hoofs 5 times before he found it okay, after that it was a piece of cake.

I like it when I have to stitch sheep, to give them a wooly look and thats why I stitch them with chenille thread, which I always buy at Hand dyed fibers. The button I haven't attached yet, that I'm going to do when all 12 parts are finished.

Little House Needleworks is started with a new 12 months project; Little Sheep Virtues. For one year each month there is going to be a pattern with at least 1 sheep, 1 virtue and 1 heart and an optional button.

I received the first sheep and I have decided to stitch them on one piece of fabric (Zweigart linen 28 ct. Cashel Toasted Almond) instead of doing them separated. I also going to buy the button each month.

On her site you can read which colors will be used in this project. I have decided to change two colors, namely Ecru will be 3865 and the blue 924 is going to be 930. The sheep itself I'm going to stitch with ... that is for now a surprise :-) In the mean time, the first stitches are done.

A virtue is a positive trait or quality deemed to be morally good and thus is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being. Personal virtues are characteristics valued as promoting collective and individual greatness. The virtues that will be on the patterns are: Hope - Love - Peace - Courage - Faith - Simplicity - patience - Wisdom - Friendship - Kindness - Gratitude - Joyfulness.

Before you know it, the needlerol from previous posting is finished. The last 2 borders were so much fun to make. Then I had to make some "open" borders and I cound begin with the stuffing. Both ends I had to tie and then I could make the picture.

If there is someone who wants to make this needleroll, just leave a reply here. I give this pattern away (without materials) and will announce on monday who wins it. Be sure I can reached you through email. (Give away closed)

For Mathilda I made a valentijn ornament, because she ask for one in the wish carnival on the Dutch yahoogroup. I also included 3 skeins silk threads. The pattern is called Give Love and is from The Little Stitcher.

I realy enjoyed Pippi's adventures and I dreamed of haven a house as Villa Villekulla myself and I hope to have a money just as mister Nilsson. I never got such a house and monkey, but I still enjoy her adventures when i read in this book.

Besides the book from my childhood, I bought when I got older some smaller books about Pippi and I even have almost all the videotapes from Pippi. Always fun to watch them on a rainy day because when you look at Pippi, you get a big smile on your face :-)

I have done a little stitching on The Bookshelf from Little House Needleworks. This time a scene of the book The secret garden from Frances Hodgson Burnett. Although it is a children's book, it is also for adult a huge fun book to read.

The secret garden is about
Mary, a spoiled lonely girl from India, which becomes a orphan when she is nin year and then goes live in a big old country house in England with her uncle.
After a while she discovers that there is also a sick boy in the House. Together they close friendship with a guy from the neighborhood that loves the nature. The discovery of a mysterious, sealed and neglected garden changes their life.

Did you know that there is a new series of books with a quilt (pattern) in the lead role? I have already the first 3 books at home and the fourth is on the way. Almost every month there will be a new one released and so far there are 16 scheduled to appear, all written by different writers. The books Quilts of Love are very fun to read if you like quilts.

The last few days I was busy with the last stitchings of the second christmas house from Santa's Village of Country Cottage Needleworks. This time it was Poinsettia Place and on the roof comes the cardinal button.

Do you know what I also like? More and more bloggers have this gadget on their blog "follow by email". I find this so handy, you don't miss any new post they write because you automataly get an email when they have done that.

Today its my sister Yvon's birthday. She is just over 3 years younger and just as creative as I. While I'm always busy with my threads, she is always busy with crafts, such as scrapbooking, stamping, making cards etc. There were no more children in our family.

In this picture from 1969 she is about 3 and I just over 6 years. The photo was taken in the time we lived in Brussels (Belgium) for 3 months. My father had a job in road building and they had had to work there for some time. Some families went along and lived temporarily in large caravans, so did we.

I got fore that exemption from school, because a part of that time fell during school holidays. This is one of my most treasured photo's because he is so uncommon, because who lives for a few months as a child in a wooden caravan, in a foreign country where you don't even understand the language (french).

Be kind to Mother Nature

"If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales."~Albert Einstein

The beauty of nature

Spread your wings and let the fairy in you fly! ~Author Unknown

A fairy ...

When you feel a little breeze, or notice a tickle, or need to sneeze or find your things are rearranged or something seems a little strange, look very closely and you might see sparkly dust, or a buzzing bee: Behold! a fairy with gossamer wings has come to show you wonderful things.